While Soulslike aficionados have been busy with Elden Ring Nightreign this month, Summer Game Fest played host to several more reveals that’ll add to the genre within the next year or so. Games like Wuchang: Fallen Feathers were known quantities going into Summer Game Fest, but one of the bigger Soulslike surprises was the reveal of Code Vein 2, a sequel to Code Vein which released in 2019 via Bandai Namco Studios.
Since Code Vein released, we’ve gotten games like Remnant 2, Lies of P, Lords of the Fallen, and The First Berserker: Khazan as well as Elden Ring itself, so the genre has gotten quite busy. Code Vein 2 wasn’t playable at Summer Game Fest, but a hands-off presentation about the game showed that Bandai Namco hasn’t lost sight of what made Code Vein stand out among the competition. It’s even more anime-coded now and is basically the definition of the small-anime-character-with-colossal-weapon trope, and compared to most Soulslikes that put players on a path by themselves, Code Vein 2 brings back its partner mechanics so that players can fight alongside other AI companions.
But with all these Soulslikes emerging since Code Vein‘s 2019 debut, Bandai Namco Studios has of course been keeping an eye on the competition ever since Code Vein 2 got underway in 2020. Code Vein 2 has a new protagonist, story, and more mechanics to get acquainted with, but it looking quite similar to the first Code Vein in its debut trailer is by design so as to capitalize on what worked.
“We certainly look at a lot of the other Soulslikes for research purposes, but we can never forget what that Code Vein likeness is, so we’re always trying to identify where those strengths are,” Code Vein 2 producer Keita Iizuka said (via a translator) during our Summer Game Fest interview.
Aside from the anime aesthetic that significantly softens the game’s look compared to most other Soulslikes which try to be as gritty and dark as possible, Code Vein boasted a companion system where you could choose someone to accompany your custom-made character into battle. Companions had strengths unique to each character to compliment your playstyle and were part of a relationship system as well where you could trade them favored items to deepen your bond. Players had plenty to say about the partner system, and Bandai Namco took notice.
“So one of the positives is definitely the partner mechanic where you can explore dungeons together and defeat bosses,” Iizuka said. “That was very positive. The fans said that was a lot of fun. So we wanted to increase and expand upon that in Code Vein 2, and we got a lot of feedback. ‘I tried this build combination with this character, etc. etc.,’ so that’s a positive.”
Character customization was another core part of the Code Vein experience, and while we didn’t see much of that through the announcement trailer, rest assured that it’s back in a big way in Code Vein 2. Part of the private presentation featured a quick look at a dizzying amount of customization options for your anime protagonist to ensure players will spend a lot of time in those menus before they even start the game.
“I would say the number of parts, the level and granularity where you can tweak how the parts are divided up in the game is much more than what Code Vein 1 offered,” Iizuka said. “So in terms of all the attire, there’s a lot of different parts that you can kind of separate out. Also, the sort of facial features. You can change the balance and different parameters on the face that you couldn’t in Code Vein 1, but that doesn’t mean to say you can go off the deep end and make something photoreal. It is all within the context of an anime-style visual aesthetic. So the idea is for players to kind of create their perfect or ideal anime avatar.”
Not all of the feedback was 100% positive, however, with Code Vein players at times saying they wanted more from the boss fights. Bosses are a pillar of Soulslikes that even Code Vein with all its stylistic differences can’t ignore, but some Code Vein players expressed concerns about uneven difficulties from one boss to another. Iizuka said Bandai Namco Studios “went deeper” into the boss encounters for Code Vein 2 to smooth out these difficulty curves while maintaining the “drama” of the story and how bosses are woven in and out of it.
“The anime visual expression is something I’m sure will not change much in the Code Vein universe going forward,” he said. “That is one of its very strong identities, but the kind of immersion into the world and how that relates to the boss fights, of course, making the boss fights really fun, but also I want them to feel intense in a way that only Code Vein can deliver, so the bosses should be designed so they look intimidating but still fall within that same anime aesthetic.”
Considering how games are getting adapted into movies and TV shows left and right these days, hearing Iizuka say “Code Vein universe” naturally brings to mind the obvious question: could Code Vein 2 (or some part of this newly established Code Vein universe) get an adaptation of some kind, especially if it’s already leaning so hard into the anime look?
“Given the opportunity and resources, I would love to see this adapted into a different format,” he said. “I think to your point about this being almost a franchise or a universe, the common denominator is the Remnants and the kind of post-apocalyptic visual aesthetic, and that would be really cool to see it adapted into an audio-visual.”
Code Vein 2 is releasing in 2026 but does not yet have a precise release date.
The post Code Vein 2 Interview: Doubling Down on Its Best Traits in a Sea of Soulslikes appeared first on ComicBook.com.
